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Christian Theology, Apologetics, and HistoryFri, 15 Feb 2019 17:00:09 +0000en-UShourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.9.9https://stpolycarpjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/cropped-St_Polycarp-face-small-32x32.pngSt. Polycarp Journalhttps://stpolycarpjournal.com
3232Creation Parallels in Genesis and the Gospelshttps://stpolycarpjournal.com/creation-parallels-in-genesis-and-the-gospels/
https://stpolycarpjournal.com/creation-parallels-in-genesis-and-the-gospels/#respondFri, 15 Feb 2019 17:00:09 +0000http://stpolycarpjournal.com/?p=93One of the greatest witnesses to the truth of the Christian Scriptures is the inherent coherence between the Old and New Testaments. Christians often take it for granted that the Old Testament provides many “types” which are fulfilled in the New Testament, perhaps the most prominent one being that of Jesus as “a priest after the order of Melchizedek” or …

]]>One of the greatest witnesses to the truth of the Christian Scriptures is the inherent coherence between the Old and New Testaments. Christians often take it for granted that the Old Testament provides many “types” which are fulfilled in the New Testament, perhaps the most prominent one being that of Jesus as “a priest after the order of Melchizedek” or as the “son of David.” However, there are also many other parallels between the two Testaments that go deeper than simple typology.

One such parallel is that of Creation as seen in Genesis and the Gospels.

The Genesis Story – Summarized

Genesis 1 records God’s creation of all that exists. In the first verses we get a glimpse of the Trinity working: the Father speaks forth His Word (the Son) and the Spirit hovers over the surface of the created waters, making order out of creation and gathering it together. God works for six days, creating man and woman on the sixth, and rests on the seventh day. Then, Genesis 2 records the creation of man in more detail while Genesis 3 records the Fall of man into sin through temptation and the resulting introduction of death and evil into the world.

Let’s consider some parallels between this high-level summary of Genesis and the Gospels. This is not meant to be exhaustive, but rather to give some areas for further study and reflection.

Creation / Re-Creation

The Gospels parallel Genesis in that they present a narrative of the “re-creation” of God’s fallen creation. This re-creation is accomplished through the Word, who came in the flesh, and results ultimately in the restoration of Fallen creation to the state of perfection in which God originally created it. This restoration and perfection will come in full at the resurrection and the new heavens and new earth, but is now here in a foretaste through the Church (as the Church is where God dwells among His people and where reconciliation among man and with creation happens, as seen most vividly in the Sacraments).

However, there are many facets of this theme of re-creation which are worth exploring:

Adam / New Adam

As mentioned, this is one of the more well-known parallels. St. Paul explicitly calls Jesus the “New Adam,” and indeed he is. God created Adam in the beginning in His image, but due to Adam’s sin, this image was marred. So, Adam – and us, as his descendants – have fallen from the perfect image of God in which we were created.

Jesus Christ, though, as the Son of God, is the perfect image of God (as St. Paul notes in Colossians). In his incarnation he united his divinity with sinless humanity, becoming the perfect man: the “New Adam,” possessing the perfect image of God.

As we are baptized and believe in Christ, he increasingly conforms us to his image through his grace (Paul calls this putting off the old Adam and being born anew in Christ’s image). This conformance will be perfected at the resurrection and we will again possess the perfect image of God in which God originally created humanity.

Eve / New Eve

An item less-focused on by Protestants is the connection between Eve and the Virgin Mary. The early Church fathers often referred to the Virgin Mary as the New Eve due to the parallels between the two women.

Eve was the first woman and was the “mother of all the living.” However, Eve was tempted by Satan to doubt God’s word, took and ate from the forbidden fruit, then enticed her husband to eat as well. This plunged them into sin and death.

There is a parallel in John’s Gospel. John 1 parallels the initial creation, even echoing the opening words of Genesis as the “Word became flesh.” Then comes the wedding feast at Cana in John 2 where Mary and Jesus are in attendance. The wine runs out, and Mary says to Jesus, “They have no wine.” Jesus replies, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” Mary then tells the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” Then, Jesus turned the water in the Jewish ceremonial jars into wine. John notes, “This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.”

Let’s consider the parallels, then, with Eve. Eve enticed Adam to sin; Mary entices Jesus, the New Adam, to manifest his glory as God. Jesus calls Mary “Woman,” a term of endearment at that time, but even more so a parallel of the fact that Eve was called “woman.” Eve doubted God’s word and sinned; Mary directs the servants to listen to God’s word. Eve was the “mother of all the living,” while Mary is the mother of the new living as she gave birth to God (she is the “Theotokos” – “God bearer”) and brought forth the first of the manifestations of his glory to give birth to the faith of the disciples.

In addition, in Genesis 3:15, God promises a “seed of the woman” who will crush Satan, this “seed of the woman” is the promised Savior who the Church throughout time (beginning in Genesis) looks to for salvation. Eve even seems to think that she gives birth to this Savior in Genesis 4 when she says, “I have gotten a man – the Lord” (in the original Hebrew). Yet, she gives birth to Cain, who spills the blood of his brother, rather than to the promised seed. The Virgin Mary is the fulfillment of the promise of the “woman” whose “seed” will crush Satan through the spilling of his blood and therefore be the Savior. Jesus’ calling of Mary “Woman” in John 2 reflects this reality of Mary’s identity as well as of his own.

Creation, Temptation, Fall / Baptism, Temptation, Victory

Genesis follows the pattern of God’s creation, the temptation of humanity, and then the fall into sin by humanity. It is worth noting that God places man and woman in a Garden and that they betray Him in this Garden through a Tree.

In the Gospels, we see Jesus’ baptism, followed by his temptation, and his victory over temptation. This is seen most clearly, perhaps, in Matthew’s Gospel. In Matthew 3, Jesus is baptized by John the Baptist. While Jesus, the incarnate Word of God, is in the water, the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus, and the Father speaks and says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Thus, present in this scene are Father, Word, and Holy Spirit – along with the created water – echoing the first verses of Genesis. Rather than the initial creation, however, Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of his re-creation or restoration of all things. He is restoring the world, ultimately removing sin and death from it at the end of the age, but it begins here in Matthew’s Gospel.

Then, Jesus is brought into the wilderness to fast and then be tempted by Satan. He is tempted with food, power, and to doubt God’s word. This parallels the temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden in Genesis. But, rather than being tempted in the lush pre-Fall garden of paradise, Jesus is tempted in the harsh, post-Fall wilderness of the dry desert. In addition, Adam and Eve were tempted with food, power (to “be like God”), and to doubt God’s word. As mentioned, Jesus is tempted with the same types of temptations, but he is victorious over the temptation, refuting Satan with God’s word.

In addition, later Jesus will be betrayed by Judas in a Garden (the Garden of Gethsemane), crucified on the “tree of the cross,” buried in a Garden tomb, and will rise from the dead in that Garden. Ultimately, the book of Revelation gives us a glimpse also of the fully restored creation in which man and woman again dwell directly with God in a Garden, like at the beginning in Genesis.

Six Days of Creation and Seventh Day of Rest / Christ’s Final Week

In Genesis, God creates all things in six days and then rests on the seventh day. The eighth day is the first day of the first week of the full creation. In the Gospels, Jesus enters into Jerusalem for his final week. He enters into the city on Sunday, the first day of the week. Then, he works all week, cleansing the temple and teaching his disciples. Finally, on Friday he is crucified and even cries out, “It is finished.” He is buried and rests in the tomb on Saturday, the sixth day, even fulfilling the Sabbath rest. Then, he rises from the dead on Sunday, the eighth day, and the first day of the new week of the new creation. It is for this reason that baptistries and baptismal fonts traditionally have eight sides; the shape symbolizes Christ’s victory over death and the rebirth into this victory which God bestows upon us at baptism.

conclusion

Hopefully, the preceding provides some areas for further thought. The connections between the Old Testament and New Testament are fascinating and capable of exceeding a lifetime of study. The Scriptures are like a nut that is cracked: one half is the Old Testament, and the other half is the New Testament. Both halves are required in order to be complete. Through continual study of the Scriptures, the fullness and richness of God’s salvation of humanity, and all that this means, comes into clearer focus.

]]>https://stpolycarpjournal.com/creation-parallels-in-genesis-and-the-gospels/feed/0The Witness of the Sacraments to the Incarnation and the Value of Human Lifehttps://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-witness-of-the-sacraments-to-the-incarnation-and-the-value-of-human-life/
https://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-witness-of-the-sacraments-to-the-incarnation-and-the-value-of-human-life/#respondFri, 01 Feb 2019 19:12:59 +0000http://stpolycarpjournal.com/?p=77The definition that Christians use for “Sacrament” vary, but range from mere memorials on one end of the spectrum, to “a sacred act instituted by Christ Himself which gives us Him and His salvation” (the Lutheran view, summarized), to “efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (the …

]]>The definition that Christians use for “Sacrament” vary, but range from mere memorials on one end of the spectrum, to “a sacred act instituted by Christ Himself which gives us Him and His salvation” (the Lutheran view, summarized), to “efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church, by which divine life is dispensed to us” (the Catholic view).

The varying definitions give rise to the different number of Sacraments. Lutherans hold to two (sometimes three) Sacraments: Baptism, the Lord’s Supper/Eucharist, and (sometimes) Confession and Absolution. Other Protestants have Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, although their conception of exactly “what” these are differs.

Catholics have the following Sacraments, divided into three main groups:

Sacraments of Initiation

Baptism

Confirmation

Eucharist

Sacraments of Healing

Penance and Reconciliation (Confession)

Anointing of the Sick

Sacraments of Service

Holy Orders

Matrimony

I’ll focus on the Catholic list for purposes of this article, since they are more expansive and encompass every area of the human life, from conception (the Sacrament of Matrimony) to death (the Sacraments of Anointing, Confession, and Eucharist). They also span from the entire life of the Christian, bringing people into the Church through Baptism, confirming their Baptismal grace in Confirmation, feeding them continually with the body and blood of Christ in the Eucharist, and restoring them to the Church through Confession. Finally, a Christian is called to greater service either through Matrimony or through Holy Orders.

It is interesting to reflect on the truths which the Sacraments are revealing to us.

First, they are God’s actions through Christ whereby He is with us throughout our lives. They show a paternal concern for His people in ensuring that there is a people (the Church) who births, cares for, and nurtures new children of God. God has not left us alone, but is continually with us through the Sacraments.

Second, they show an incarnational aspect of God’s love. Water is poured over our bodies in Baptism, we are anointed with oil in Confirmation, we are fed with bread and wine in the Eucharist. What is more, the very elements of the Eucharist itself are also the body and blood of Christ. The sick are cared for and people are called into special service either for the Church or for their spouse and children. The Sacraments witness to the truth of Christ’s incarnation because they themselves are incarnational.

Third, they illustrate the love of Christ. The Sacraments are ways in which He is present with us. They are also things He has commissioned the Church to do for His people. The Sacraments therefore come from outside of us and are done to us, as acts of God’s grace. The Sacraments of Service are meant to nurture the Church (through Holy Orders) and the family (through Matrimony). As part of this, they all also illustrate the central truth that Christian love is sacrificial and has a concern for the other. In marriage, husbands and wives give themselves to each other and sacrifice for each other as well as for their children. Marriage is therefore the most intimate way in which Christian sacrificial love or charity is lived out.

What are the implications, then, of the Sacraments?

For one, they witness to the incarnation of Christ. The Son of God became flesh and dwelt among us, and continues to dwell among us in the Eucharist. In addition, they witness to the fact that we – as human creatures – are both body and soul. God cares for the entire person and is saving the entire person, as evidenced by the tangible, bodily aspects of the Sacraments as well as the promise of the bodily resurrection. Related to this is the fact that human life is important. God has provided a means to bring it about (Matrimony) and given the other Sacraments to nurture the entire human life so that a person is brought closer to Him.

Human actions which devalue human life, then, fight against the Sacraments and God’s design. Abortion, Euthanasia, and murder all “kick against the goads” of God’s witness in the Sacraments that He created life, that Christ came in the flesh to save us (being Himself born of a woman), and that He is the one with power over life and death and chooses life due to His grace, even though our lives cost us his suffering and death.

Thus, God’s love is sacrificial. He gives Himself to us. Christ left the adoration of the angels (cf. Isaiah 6) and came to us to give Himself up for our salvation. We, as His people – the Church – are called to do the same for each other, most especially our spouses and children. We are called to bear witness to Christ and uphold the things He upholds: life, grace, and mercy. Let us not forget the sacrificial nature of Christ’s love for us as we seek to model love for others.

(Image: Distribution of divine graces by means of the Catholic Church and the sacraments. By Johannes Hopffe – Bistum Hildesheim, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9603529)

]]>https://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-witness-of-the-sacraments-to-the-incarnation-and-the-value-of-human-life/feed/0In Christ There Is No East or West – Reflections on MLK Dayhttps://stpolycarpjournal.com/in-christ-there-is-no-east-or-west-reflections-on-mlk-day/
https://stpolycarpjournal.com/in-christ-there-is-no-east-or-west-reflections-on-mlk-day/#respondSat, 26 Jan 2019 16:36:50 +0000http://stpolycarpjournal.com/?p=74This previous Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a day when we remember and celebrate our great leader for civil rights in these United States. And then the Friday before was the March for Life when we remember and advocate for the rights of the unborn. There’s a connection between these two events, and they also bring to mind …

]]>This previous Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a day when we remember and celebrate our great leader for civil rights in these United States. And then the Friday before was the March for Life when we remember and advocate for the rights of the unborn.

There’s a connection between these two events, and they also bring to mind the Old Testament book of Jonah. If you read the entire book in context – and it’s not long – you get the impression that Jonah and the other Israelites thought that God’s promises were only for them; that the purpose of the Church was to hoard God’s blessings for themselves and not to tell others about Him. They thought that perhaps the color of our skin, or our ancestry, or the language we speak, or the clothes we wear somehow determine our worth before God.

But, this is not how God views things. God’s Word of Salvation is meant for all people, for all are sinners in need of Christ. In the Old Testament, God called a people around this promise – the Church Israel – and they were to be his witnesses on earth so that people from all nations (that is to say, of all ethnicities) would come to faith in God’s promise of salvation and thus be incorporated into this Church.

So, in the book of Jonah, God’s plan is to call the people of Nineveh in Assyria to repentance and to point them to Him, Yahweh, as the one true God. He picks Jonah for this mission.

And what is Jonah’s response? He flees. For not only are the Assyrians the political enemies of Israel, but they also look different, they speak a different language, their culture is different. Why would God call them to repentance? Why would God care about them? Surely, the treasures of the Church are not meant for these people?

So, Jonah flees. Nineveh is to the East, but Jonah boards a ship headed to the West. However, God’s plans will not be thwarted. He causes a violent storm to brew up, and Jonah is cast into the sea, only to be swallowed up by a great fish which, after three days and nights, coughs him up on the coast, near Nineveh. Jonah cannot escape from the Lord. So, he resigns himself to his fate and goes to the city. Yet, he’s still half-hearted about the whole business. The city is three-days journey wide and Jonah only goes one day into it, declaring simply, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!”

Despite this simple, half-hearted proclamation “the people of Nineveh believed God.” They repented and trusted in Yahweh (the Lord) and He saved them. After Jonah’s figurative death and resurrection, salvation comes to the nations as well, prefiguring what Christ would accomplish for all nations of all times and places.

What an odd thing for Jonah and the other people of Israel that this people – these Assyrians – who looked different, spoke different, and acted different would be loved enough by God to send His word to them through a prophet. Perhaps, though, rather than the fact that the Israelites were “worthy” and others were unworthy, the truth is that we are all unworthy before God and He saves us by His grace through faith. For the people of Nineveh believed and were therefore grafted onto the Church Israel, the same as Jonah and the same as the others. (In fact, the modern Christian Assyrians in Iraq trace the beginnings of their faith back to Jonah.) The point is that the color of their skin, the language they spoke, and their culture did not separate them from the rest of the Church, for they were all one in the Christ who was still yet to come.

Is this not what the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. came to remind us of also? The fact that we are all creations of the one true God and that we in the Church are one in Christ, even though we may look different, speak different, or come from different places? We are all descended from Adam and Eve and our ancestors all disembarked from the same Ark of Noah after being saved across the waters by God’s grace through the faith of Noah who believed.

The truth is that there is only one human race, we are all sinners, and God’s Word is meant for us all. We have been tricked into speaking as if there are multiple races, but there is only one. Jonah was taught this truth. Ruth and Rahab illustrated it. Dr. King was sent to remind us of it. And we, the Church, need to constantly remember this.

For, we are constantly tempted to forget that we are all sinners before God, redeemed and saved only through the blood of Christ which was shed for all people. We are constantly tempted to forget that Christ is the Savior of all nations (that is to say, all ethne or enthnicities). God has formed numerous nations in the world as part of the rich tapestry of His human creation, and yet we are all called together as one body of Christ in the Church and our differences give a richness and texture to that tapestry. Indeed, who do we see Jesus calling in the Gospels (particularly Mark 1:14-20)? He calls Simon and Andrew, humble fishermen, promising them that he will make them “fishers of men.” Then, he also calls the brothers James and John, also fishermen. Indeed, much later he calls Saul – a Jewish pharisee – to be the apostle to the nations (i.e. the gentiles) so that all people may be caught up in the net of the Church.

After Jesus’ resurrection, in John 21, Jesus miraculously causes the disciples to catch 153 fish in their net. Some ancient sources held that there were 153 species of fish in the waters of the seas; the significance of the number in John 21 then being that the fish in the net represent people from all nations who are brought into the Church. It’s a visual lesson of the fact that Christ calls people from every nation into the Church. We may separate ourselves, in our sinful thoughts, by color, language, or culture, and yet it is Christ who unites us as one. And perhaps we can extend the same grace of his to those yet to be born, acknowledging that God has formed us in the womb for purposes of which only He knows, but which will be revealed in time (cf. Psalm 139:13).

So, we are all one now in the Church militant, united by Christ as his body, saved across the waters of Baptism. Each Sunday throughout the entire earth, the Church together praises Christ as one, together with all the saints at rest. We sing together, “Kyrie, Eleison!” – “Lord, have mercy!”

And ultimately, we will be reunited at the resurrection as this mercy comes to us in full. St. John the Apostle saw this day in the revelation given to him by Christ. He wrote:

“… I looked, and behold, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, dressed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands. They cried with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation be to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” (Revelation 7:9-10)

Every tribe, people, and language – all united in Christ and singing His praises! This is what Jonah got a glimpse of. This is what Christ called the Apostles to go help bring about. This is the end we look forward to, and what we have already in the Church. Don’t let the fallen, dead people of the world divide you with their false talk or divisions. For you are all one nation of God, the Church. Christ died for you. Christ has reconciled you to each other and to your Heavenly Father. Christ is returning for you.

And the great beauty of God’s plan is that on the coming day of the resurrection you will look to your left and to your right and behold “a great multitude, which no man could number, out of every nation and of all tribes, peoples, and languages” all “dressed in white robes.” And you will sing together the song of salvation, crying out, “Salvation be to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”

]]>https://stpolycarpjournal.com/in-christ-there-is-no-east-or-west-reflections-on-mlk-day/feed/0The Continued Importance of the Old Testamenthttps://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-continued-importance-of-the-old-testament/
https://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-continued-importance-of-the-old-testament/#respondFri, 18 Jan 2019 00:52:48 +0000http://stpolycarpjournal.com/?p=66(Note: This article was originally posted at The Resurgent) Late last week an article was making the rounds concerning comments about the Old Testament by Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church in the Atlanta area. In an article in Relevant Magazine, he argued that Christians sometimes place too much emphasis on the Old Testament, particularly the Ten …

Late last week an article was making the rounds concerning comments about the Old Testament by Andy Stanley, pastor of North Point Community Church in the Atlanta area. In an article in Relevant Magazine, he argued that Christians sometimes place too much emphasis on the Old Testament, particularly the Ten Commandments, and that they should instead focus on the New Testament and Jesus.

The context of Stanley’s remarks concerned various monuments to the Ten Commandments erected throughout the nation. Stanley said, “[I]f we’re going to create a monument to stand as a testament to our faith, shouldn’t it at least be a monument of something that actually applies to us? … Participants in the new covenant (that’s Christians) are not required to obey any of the commandments found in the first part of their Bibles.” Later, he writes, “… church leaders essentially kidnapped the Jewish Scriptures and claimed them as their own.”

In the spirit of Christian charity, I won’t go through Stanley’s article line-by-line, but will instead focus on a few questions and points.

Why is the Old Testament Important?

Why even bother with the Old Testament? Is it just a set of Jewish Scriptures that has little to no relevance for Christians today? There have been attempts throughout Christian history to separate the two Testaments. Most famous, perhaps, is that of Marcion in the 2nd Century who completely rejected the Old Testament. Less extreme examples, however, are more prevalent, such as when people view God as dealing with His people in one way in the Old Testament (through the Law) and in a different way in the New Testament (through the Gospel).

However, God’s promises of salvation for the sake of Christ are found throughout the Old Testament, beginning in Genesis 3:15 directly after the Fall of Adam and Eve. He then gathers together a people around this promise, which is the “people of the promise.” A short-hand way to think about this is that those who believe in God’s promises are the Church. The Old Testament Church therefore begins with Adam and Eve and includes all those who believe that God will redeem and restore the world through the one He anointed for this purpose (i.e. the Christ or Messiah). Thus, the Church began with Adam and Eve, continues through their son Seth, through to Noah, through to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Jacob is renamed Israel by God, and the Church was then known by that name in the Old Testament, but all those who had faith were part of Israel, even those not descended from Abraham/Isaac/Jacob, just as some of these descendants were not part of the Church (cf. Romans 9:6-8). This is seen most visibly in the incorporation of Ruth, a Moabite, and Rahab, a prostitute of Canaan, not only into the covenant of the Church, but also ancestors of Jesus the Christ himself. Likewise, the fact that God sent the prophet Jonah to the Assyrians and then the Assyrian Naaman to Elisha for healing (and many similar events) illustrate the fact that God’s promise of the Christ in the Old Testament was meant for all people. The mission of the people of Israel, the Church, was to be witnesses to this promise to all nations (i.e. the Gentiles); it remains the mission of the New Testament Church today, the new Israel (cf. Galatians 6:11-16).

So, the Old Testament is still important and relevant precisely because it is the account of God’s promises of salvation and the people who believed Him; it is the story of the Church. The Old Testament Church looked forward to Christ’s coming as well as his return for the final judgment, just as the New Testament Church looks back to Christ’s incarnation as well as forward yet again.

The Old Testament Scriptures, therefore, served to orient people to the coming of the Christ. The tabernacle, the sacrificial system, the priesthood, the ceremonial laws (all ordained by God and designed by him) served to give the people a glimpse of what He was doing through Christ. The book of Hebrews in the New Testament brings out this point beautifully: Christ is the true High Priest who sacrificed himself and presents his holy blood before the Father to atone for our sins so that God may dwell directly again with us, as it was in the beginning before the Fall. After the future resurrection of our bodies, then, we will live directly with God in a world without sin, evil, or death – as God intended and as it was in Eden. We in the New Testament Church therefore have the same faith as those in the Old Testament Church, just in a clearer way due to the incarnation of Christ (cf. Hebrews 11:1ff).

What is the Relevance of the Ten Commandments for Christians?

I mentioned that the Church began in Genesis 3:15, after the Fall, when God promised a Savior and Adam and Eve believed him. Something else began after the Fall as well: civil government. Just as humanity needed salvation, provided by Christ and witnessed to by the Church, so too does it need a way to keep order in the world among sinful, fallen people. This order and enforcement of peace and justice is provided by government, even if it fails at times in its task or oversteps its bounds.

Related to this is the concept of Natural Law. God intends for the world to operate a certain way and for people to relate to one another in a certain way. This He has written on all our hearts as Natural Law, so that all people have an innate sense of right and wrong (Romans 2:14-15). Thus, throughout history we see attempts at codifying this Natural Law, most famously perhaps in the Code of Hammurabi. It is often pointed to by non-Christians to try to make the case that the Ten Commandments are not so special.

Well, in a way, perhaps they are correct, to some extent at least. The Ten Commandments are reflections of the Natural Law that God has instilled in all of us. However, they are unique, because in them God Himself is making His Natural Law clear to us; things like the Code of Hammurabi were also expressions of this Law, yet filtered through fallen humanity.

The Ten Commandments, therefore, are qualitatively different from the ceremonial laws in the Old Testament; those served to mark the Church Israel out from the surrounding nations, to make them unique so that people could see them as a distinctive witness to the One True God (we have similar things in the New Testament today through the Sacraments and Liturgy). The Ten Commandments, however, as clear elucidations of Natural Law, apply to all people of all times, because they represent God’s good will for our lives as humans.

It is true that Christians are justified before God due to our great High Priest, Jesus Christ, and his sacrifice. Yet, the Ten Commandments still remain as expressions of God’s will for our lives. If we want to live as His children in a way that is pleasing to Him, then we can look to His Commandments are our guide. Indeed, the promise of God is that He will increasingly conform us to the image of Christ, rather than to the fallen image of Adam in which we were born, so that we will be restored to the image in which He originally created humanity (cf. Colossians 1:15ff).

Yet, as I mentioned, the Commandments, as an expression of Natural Law, also apply and are relevant to all people. Ask yourself a question: would our lives be improved by breaking the Commandments? Are things better when we do so? Look at all the hurt and pain caused in the world by rejecting God, cheating on our spouses, stealing, coveting, lying, etc… God knows what He is doing with the Commandments: they serve to keep order in the world and enable us to live in peace with each other. And even if people reject them or do not know them, they are still written on their hearts as Natural Law and we feel them through the pangs of conscience.

It is for this reason, then, that our Founders and people today often erect monuments to the Commandments at courthouses (even if they number them incorrectly :- ) ). It is because they reflect the Natural Law that applies to all people and also because civil government is charged by God to keep order, enforce justice, and punish evildoers.

A Final Plea

My closing encouragement for Christians is to read the Old Testament with an eye towards Christ. Look at the big picture and try to see the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, as a unified whole that is centered around Christ. The Old Testament is yours as well, for it tells of God’s promises and of His people who believed in His promises, with whom you are connected through Christ and will be joined with in person at the coming resurrection. So, look for the One promised in pages of the Old Testament, because He is there (cf. John 12:41, Isaiah 6:1ff), just as he showed the disciples on the way to Emmaus:

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

]]>https://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-continued-importance-of-the-old-testament/feed/0On the Catholic and Protestant Views of Justificationhttps://stpolycarpjournal.com/justification/
https://stpolycarpjournal.com/justification/#respondSun, 02 Dec 2018 00:00:38 +0000http://stpolycarpjournal.com/?p=59There has been much misunderstanding regarding the Catholic and Protestant views of how a person is justified by and before God. In the interest of ecumenical dialogue, the similarities between the beliefs of both sides are worth exploring further. First, it is useful to get the typical caricatures out of the way. Protestants sometimes characterize Catholics as being saved by …

]]>There has been much misunderstanding regarding the Catholic and Protestant views of how a person is justified by and before God. In the interest of ecumenical dialogue, the similarities between the beliefs of both sides are worth exploring further.

First, it is useful to get the typical caricatures out of the way.Protestants sometimes characterize Catholics as being saved by faith and works, which is interpreted as works-righteousness; that is to say that Protestants interpret Catholics as saying that they are saved by what they do to earn God’s favor.In return, Catholics sometimes characterize Protestants as being saved by an intellectual faith, apart from any works; that is to say that they interpret Protestants as saying that they are saved by a mere knowledge of Christ.

Neither characterization is wholly accurate and therefore does a disservice to ecumenical understanding by both sides.

To explore this, it is helpful to look at what each side means by “justification.”

Protestants (focusing particularly on Lutheranism) view justification as the actual one-time event when God declares a sinner to be righteous before him.After this happens, then the term “sanctification” is normally used to refer to the subsequent life of the Christian and God’s actions upon that person to make him actually be righteous.In Lutheran parlance, a sinner is justified by God’s grace for the sake of Christ and then God works through and in that person (i.e. God sanctifies him) to increasingly conform him to the image of Christ; this conformation will be completed and perfected at the resurrection.

Catholics tend to view justification as combining both the Protestant conception of “justification” as well as “sanctification.”That is to say, God justifies a person by His grace for the sake of Christ and this act of justification is not simply a one-time event, but rather a process by which a person is increasingly drawn to God and conformed to Christ.Whatever good a person does is due to the grace which God infuses within a person such that a person’s “works” are ultimately due to God’s grace.Catholics refer to merits in a similar sense, as merits are ultimately due to God’s grace: “You are glorified in the assembly of your Holy Ones, for in crowning their merits you are crowning your own gifts” (from the Catholic Catechism and the Roman Missal).

Thus, when Catholics say that a person is saved by “faith and works,” they are attributing both items to God’s grace.They do not mean that a person earns God’s favor due to his works, but rather that a person does good works and is drawn closer to God because he has God’s favor upon/within him.Seen in this light, it is not so much different from the Protestant view that God first justifies a person and then works in him through the process of sanctification and that “good works flow from faith,” just as good fruit naturally is produced by a healthy vine (cf. John 15:5ff).

A few passages from the Catechism of the Catholic Church are pertinent here:

1988 Through the power of the Holy Spirit we take part in Christ’s Passion by dying to sin, and in his Resurrection by being born to a new life; we are members of his Body which is the Church, branches grafted onto the vine which is himself [emphasis added]

1989 The first work of the grace of the Holy Spirit is conversion, effecting justification in accordance with Jesus’ proclamation at the beginning of the Gospel: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”Moved by grace, man turns toward God and away from sin, thus accepting forgiveness and righteousness from on high.Justification is not only the remission of sins, but also the sanctification and renewal of the interior man.[emphasis added]

1990 Justification detaches man from sin which contradicts the love of God, and purifies his heart of sin. Justification follows upon God’s merciful initiative of offering forgiveness. It reconciles man with God. It frees from the enslavement to sin, and it heals.[emphasis added]

1991 Justification is at the same time the acceptance of God’s righteousness through faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness (or “justice”) here means the rectitude of divine love. With justification, faith, hope, and charity are poured into our hearts, and obedience to the divine will is granted us.[emphasis added]

1992 Justification has been merited for us by the Passion of Christ who offered himself on the cross as a living victim, holy and pleasing to God, and whose blood has become the instrument of atonement for the sins of all men. Justification is conferred in Baptism, the sacrament of faith. It conforms us to the righteousness of God, who makes us inwardly just by the power of his mercy. Its purpose is the glory of God and of Christ, and the gift of eternal life.[emphasis added]

Compare the preceding with Martin Luther’s explanation on the Second and Third Articles of the Creed in the Small Catechism:

[Second Article] – I believe that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity, and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord, who has redeemed me, a lost and condemned creature, purchased and won [delivered] me from all sins, from death, and from the power of the devil, not with gold or silver, but with His holy, precious blood and with His innocent suffering and death, in order that I may be [wholly] His own, and live under Him in His kingdom, and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness, even as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true. [emphasis added]

[Third Article] – I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Ghost has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith; even as He calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth, and keeps it with Jesus Christ in the one true faith; in which Christian Church He forgives daily and richly all sins to me and all believers, and at the last day will raise up me and all the dead, and will give to me and to all believers in Christ everlasting life. This is most certainly true.[emphasis added]

In the above examples, Christ and the work of God in saving us are emphasized. In addition, this saving act makes us the people of God so that we may live with Him. Salvation in this broader sense is neither a one-time act, nor is it a result of anything we have done; it all rests upon God’s initiative and actions through Christ our Savior.

This article is not meant to be exhaustive; it does not, for example, delve into the nuances of forensic justification or infused grace.Instead, the aim is to make a few connections between Catholic and Protestant (Lutheran, in particular) belief for purposes of ecumenical discussion.To say that Catholics believe that a person is justified by “works” and that Protestants believe that a person is justified by an intellectual faith misses the depth of both views.Both sides believe that God makes a person righteous due to Christ and that God works in a person to actually make them righteous.However, the definitions of the terms are slightly different as is the emphasis (Catholics tend to emphasize the on-going aspect of grace, while Protestants normally emphasize the one-time conversion due to grace).This causes misunderstandings on both sides and needless straw-man arguments.Before having a discussion it is helpful to look at what the other side is actually saying so that the discussion can begin there.

(Image: Crucifixion with Mary, St John and the Magdalene. By Pieter Lastman – http://adlib.catharijneconvent.nl/dispatcher.aspx?action=search&search=creator=%27Lastman,%20Pieter%27&database=ChoiceCollect, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60644508)

]]>https://stpolycarpjournal.com/justification/feed/0The “Regula Fidei” and Its Implications for “Sola Scriptura”https://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-regula-fidei-and-its-implications-for-sola-scriptura/
https://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-regula-fidei-and-its-implications-for-sola-scriptura/#respondMon, 12 Nov 2018 19:30:16 +0000http://stpolycarpjournal.com/?p=49Introduction This article will explore the implications of the early New Testament Church’s reliance upon the regula fidei (“rule of faith”) on the Reformation concept of sola Scriptura. To do so, we will first consider the history of the regula fidei and how it relates to the founding of the first Christian congregations. Then, we’ll consider the development of the …

This article will explore the implications of the early New Testament Church’s reliance upon the regula fidei (“rule of faith”) on the Reformation concept of sola Scriptura.To do so, we will first consider the history of the regula fidei and how it relates to the founding of the first Christian congregations.Then, we’ll consider the development of the Biblical New Testament canon of Scripture.Finally, we’ll close with the main point of this article which is to look at the implications of all of this for sola Scriptura.This article is no an exhaustive study, but rather is meant to stimulate thought and discussion.

Christian Congregations Founded on the Teachings of the Apostles

The first essential point to appreciate about the early New Testament Church is that the congregations based their core beliefs on the teachings of the Apostles.St. Paul, for example, reminds the Corinthians of what he had taught them.He calls this the message of “first importance,” writing that he taught them “that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,” and that he appeared to many, including Paul (1 Corinthians 15:3ff).Paul mentions the “Scriptures,” and at the time of his writing this letter (mid-50s AD), this would have meant what we now call the Old Testament.

There are two take-aways from this.First, that Paul was stating that Christ fulfilled the promises and prophecies given in the Old Testament.Second, that the teachings of the Apostles did not directly derive from the New Testament, since the writings which would become the New Testament were still being composed (indeed, Paul’s letters would become part of the canon).Thus, the salient point is that the Apostles’ teachings came from Jesus Christ himself and were then imparted to the congregations they founded and that they were in accordance with God’s promises given in the Old Testament.

Due to the importance of the Apostles in founding the congregations, their teachings gave rise to what was called the “regula fidei” or the “rule of faith.” This summary was based on the apostolic teaching and was the standard by which other doctrine was judged (thus, “rule” in the sense of “ruler” or something by which other things are judged). Each local congregation within the Church had its own rule of faith which was a succinct statement of the essentials of what the apostles taught.While each congregation had its own “rule,” they were all basically the same. Each rule of faith focused on the Holy Trinity and the role of each Person in our salvation: the Father who created all things, the Son Jesus Christ who died and rose to restore all things, and the Holy Spirit who spoke through the prophets and gathers together the Church in faith.These were the essentials; some of these three articles of the rule would be expanded in certain localities in order to combat whatever heresy was most prevalent in the area (for example, the first article concerning the Father was elaborated upon in areas where Gnosticism was a threat, in order to affirm the goodness of creation since Gnostics believed that the material world was intrinsically evil).

St. Irenaeus includes a rule of faith in his book Against the Heresies (chapter 10). Irenaeus was the bishop of what is now Lyon, France in the 2nd Century AD. He wrote the following (note that “Economies” in the context of what Irenaeus writes means the way that God has ordered salvation):

The Church, indeed, though disseminated throughout the world, even to the ends of the earth, received from the apostles and their disciples the faith in one God the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth and the seas and all things that are in them;

and in the one Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who was enfleshed for our salvation;

and in the Holy Spirit, who through the prophets preached the Economies, the coming, the birth from a Virgin, the passion, the resurrection from the dead, and the bodily ascension into heaven of the beloved Son, Christ Jesus our Lord, and His coming from heaven in the glory of the Father to recapitulate all things, and to raise up all flesh of the whole human race, in order that to Christ Jesus, our Lord and God, Savior and King, according to the invisible Father’s good pleasure, ‘Every knee should bow of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess Him…

Irenaeus adds:

The Church … though disseminated throughout the whole world, carefully guards this preaching and this faith which she had received, as if she dwelt in one house. She likewise believes these things as if she had but one soul and one and the same heart; she preaches, teaches, and hands them down harmoniously, as if she possessed but one mouth [emphasis added].

Irenaeus then goes on to explain that the churches in Germany, Spain, Gaul, Libya, and all throughout the world proclaim the same faith that was handed down to them by the Apostles. A “message of first importance” which came from Jesus Christ, given to the Apostles, and entrusted to the Church, wherever she may be found.

Justin Martyr, who lived in the second century as well, in his letter to the Roman emperor (the First Apology) also mentioned the faith of the Church. He wrote about the promise of the resurrection of the body and life everlasting and said (chapter 13):

Our teacher of these things is Jesus Christ, who was also born for this purpose, and was crucified under Pontius Pilate, procurator of Judaea in the time of Tiberius Caesar; and we will show that we worship him rationally, having learned that He is the Son of the true God Himself, and holding Him in the second place, and the prophetic Spirit in the third rank.

Justin Martyr then spends the rest of his book explaining this mystery that was handed down to him from the apostles.

Tertullian, living around the same time, in his book Against Praxaes also mentions the “rule of faith” in an effort to refute Praxaes’ heretical views:

We, however, as we indeed always have done (and more especially since we have been better instructed by the Paraclete, who leads men indeed into all truth), believe that there is one only God, but under the following dispensation, or οἰκονομία, as it is called, that this one only God has also a Son, His Word, who proceeded from Himself, by whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made. Him we believe to have been sent by the Father into the Virgin, and to have been born of her — being both Man and God, the Son of Man and the Son of God, and to have been called by the name of Jesus Christ; we believe Him to have suffered, died, and been buried, according to the Scriptures, and, after He had been raised again by the Father and taken back to heaven, to be sitting at the right hand of the Father, and that He will come to judge the quick and the dead; who sent also from heaven from the Father, according to His own promise, the Holy Ghost, the Paraclete, the sanctifier of the faith of those who believe in the Father, and in the Son, and in the Holy Ghost. That this rule of faith has come down to us from the beginning of the gospel, even before any of the older heretics, much more before Praxeas, a pretender of yesterday, will be apparent both from the lateness of date which marks all heresies, and also from the absolutely novel character of our new-fangled Praxeas.

Within the writings of Irenaeus and Justin and Tertullian, then, we see the “rule of faith” as the reflection of Apostolic teaching.Eventually, the “rule of faith” of Rome would become known as the Old Roman Creed, leading to the Apostles’ Creed we know today.When looking at the Apostles’ Creed, one can see that it is the same teaching as that found in the early “rules of faith.”

The Development of the Biblical Canon

What was the “rule of faith” used for in the congregations of the early Church?

For one, they were used to judge teaching to see if it was in accord with the Apostles’ teaching.As Paul wrote to the Galatians: “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be under a divine curse! As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you embraced, let him be under a divine curse!” (Galatians 1:8-9).

Another important use in the early Church for the “rule of faith” was in judging writings.This led to the development of the New Testament canon.The point is that as writings were circulated among the congregations, they used their “rule of faith” to determine which writings were truly apostolic and thus Scriptural.The key factor in the early Church’s determination of what was Scripture and what was not was apostolic authority; i.e. was a writing connected to an Apostle and did it reflect apostolic teaching?Thus, writings such as “Shepherd of Hermas,” “Didache,” and “1 Clement” were considered inspired and sometimes used by congregations, but they were not considered part of the Scriptural canon as they were not directly connected with the Apostles.Paul’s writings, the four Gospels, and the other books accepted as the New Testament were Scripture, because they were Apostolic (Mark and Luke’s Gospels owing to their close connection with Peter and Paul).

The importance of apostolic authority can even be seen in the negative witness of the heretical Gnostic writings.The point is that they named their writings after apostles in an effort to get their writings accepted as Scripture; their actions are a testament to the fact that apostolicity was the key criteria for a writing to be accepted by the Church.The Church, however, recognized that the teachings in these writings did not accord with their “rule of faith” and so rejected them.

Thus, when the Council of Nicaea met in 325 AD, they did not “invent” the New Testament out of whole cloth.Rather, they formally ratified a Biblical canon that was already known and used throughout the Church because the individual books had been judged to be in accord with apostolic teaching as codified in the “rule of faith.”Thus, both the “rule of faith” (and later Creeds) and the New Testament were derived from apostolic teaching and authority, in parallel.

Implications for Sola Scriptura

Given that the “rule of faith” and the New Testament arose in parallel, what does this mean for the Reformation doctrine of “Sola Scriptura?”

First, what is “Sola Scriptura?”It is the concept of “Scripture alone;” i.e. that all teaching and authority ultimately derives from the Bible as its primary source.Oftentimes, it is also closely connected with the concept of the “perspicuity of the Scriptures;” that is, that the Bible can be interpreted clearly by individuals.It therefore rejects the concept of a Church “magisterium” which provides approved interpretations and teachings as well as the closely-related Catholic concept of Sacred Tradition.

However, in practice, Protestant churches do operate with a sort of “rule of faith” to guide Scriptural interpretation, even if they state that these rules of faith are subservient to the Scriptures.Lutheran churches use the “Book of Concord” as their main confessional document and ordained pastors are required to subscribe to it; it is meant to provide a norm for Biblical interpretation.Reformed churches use the “Westminster Confession of Faith.”Baptist churches use various confessional statements.

Thus, the effect of confessional documents and creeds is to provide a rule of faith by which Scripture is interpreted.These documents serve as the norm by which interpretations of the Bible are judged to see which ones are within the realm of orthodoxy and which are heterodox or heretical, at least as considered by the individual denomination or congregation.In this, they serve much the same function as the early “rules of faith” as well as the Creeds.They also serve to check private Biblical interpretation by providing the boundaries, as it were, for what is accepted by the Church and what is rejected.

This check on private Biblical interpretation is entirely useful, as the witness of the Church is required in order to faithfully interpret Scripture; otherwise, false interpretations, schisms, and heresies occur.In addition, the Scriptures were given to the Church and belong to her, not to any individual believer.Stated another way, believers have a duty to listen to the Church’s teaching and let it be a guide to their own interpretation, rather than disregarding the historic teaching of the Church in favor of their private opinion.

Given that Protestants have their own form of tradition by which they interpret Scripture, would it then be more in line with Christian charity to view the Roman Catholic Church’s views on Scripture in a similar light?The Catholic Church believes in Sacred Scripture as well as Sacred Tradition, both arising in parallel from apostolic teaching and authority.Catholics are careful to point out that Sacred Tradition does not introduce new teachings or revelations, but rather that it interprets the “deposit of faith” given to the Church by the Apostles.Protestants in practice believe something similar, as the Creeds and confessional documents are used as statements of faith and interpretive guides to the Scriptures.

Conclusion

More could be said about the early Church’s use of the “rule of faith” and the subsequent development of the New Testament canon.However, this article is meant to provide some thoughts and discussion points to consider whether or not the Protestant and Catholic views on the Scriptures are not closer to each other in practice than commonly assumed.In addition, Sola Scriptura is often used as a rallying cry, but in fact various strands of tradition are still brought to bear upon Biblical interpretation by Protestants.No one can or should interpret the Bible in isolation, but should instead look to the Church for guidance.Protestants refer to this “guidance” in terms of confessional documents, while Catholics refer to it as “Sacred Tradition.”Both, however, have a similar practical effect of constraining interpretation and guiding believers as to what is considered good exegesis versus bad eisegesis and what is considered true versus false.The point of departure, then, is on what to base this rule of faith: confessional documents or Sacred Tradition?

References

(Image: The twelve Apostles receiving inspiration from the Holy Spirit and composing the Creed, from Somme le Roy, a moral compendium; By Laurent – http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=add_ms_54180_fs001r, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=32734700)

]]>https://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-regula-fidei-and-its-implications-for-sola-scriptura/feed/0The Launch of St. Polycarp Journalhttps://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-launch-of-st-polycarp-journal/
https://stpolycarpjournal.com/the-launch-of-st-polycarp-journal/#respondMon, 12 Nov 2018 05:30:22 +0000http://stpolycarpjournal.com/?p=39I’m pleased to announce the launch of St. Polycarp Journal. The intent of this site is to encourage thought and discussion related to Christian apologetics, theology, and history from an ecumenical perspective. Thus, while St. Polycarp Publishing House publishes books related to these topics, the Journal will provide shorter-form articles and opinion pieces. Why “St. Polycarp?” St. Polycarp was a Christian …

]]>I’m pleased to announce the launch of St. Polycarp Journal. The intent of this site is to encourage thought and discussion related to Christian apologetics, theology, and history from an ecumenical perspective. Thus, while St. Polycarp Publishing House publishes books related to these topics, the Journal will provide shorter-form articles and opinion pieces.

Why “St. Polycarp?”

St. Polycarp was a Christian bishop of the second century AD who was taught by the Apostle John and served as the bishop of the Church in Smyrna. In 155 AD, he was martyred in the arena of Smyrna by the Roman authorities.

St. Polycarp represents the next generation of the Church after the Apostles, carrying on the Apostolic faith to succeeding generations. St. Polycarp Publishing House and St. Polycarp Journal take their name from him in this same spirit.

Why Ecumenical?

The Church as the body of Christ has a lot more in common with its members than with those who are not members of this body. That sounds like a tautology, and perhaps it is, but the Church so often acts as if this is not the case. We have arguments between denominations and among believers which can cause those outside the Church to wonder if we really are “united in Christ” as we claim to be.

For this reason, I’d like to focus more on what binds us together, while also exploring honest differences of opinion and theology in a thoughtful, reasoned, and respectful manner.

The site is planted with humble beginnings, but I hope to see it flower in the future.